The Mad Genius (1931) is an American pre-Code drama film[3] produced and distributed by Warner Bros. and directed by Michael Curtiz.

The film stars John Barrymore, Marian Marsh, Donald Cook, Charles Butterworth, and in small roles, Boris Karloff and Frankie Darro.

He adopts a protégé, Fedor Ivanoff (Darro as a child, Cook as an adult), whom he makes into the greatest dancer in the world.

Fedor returns embittered; he sees Nana on opening night and realizes that she still loves him; he refuses to dance.

Warner Bros. was so pleased by the box office returns for Svengali (1931), also starring Barrymore and Marsh, that they rushed The Mad Genius into production, and released it on November 7, 1931.